Quick question for everyone. I have never been in a position where I had a car new enough that I might want to go directly to the dealer to get it worked on. That said, I have a 2012 focus that I picked up just a few weeks ago, and it is now around 10250 miles or so. I want to take it in for a general service check, but I don't know if it is better to take it to a Ford dealer or just a local mechanic I know.

The main concern is pricing. I don't know what all might be covered by the warranty (if anything) when it comes to routine maintenance. However, I have often read about dealers charging wayyyy too much for simple work.

I have a local mechanic I can take it to in order to get checked out, but I would imagine a Ford dealer would know the car better overall (at least in this case with the first year of a redesign). Right now, the main things I want to have checked out are a groaning noise that sometimes happens when I am turning the car pretty tightly, as well as as semi grinding noise when I am applying the brakes in certain situations (mainly while backing up and turning at the same time). Those items aside, I also want a general check of the whole car.

the groaning and grinding noise should be covered under warranty ,you can get a coupon for an oil change,tire rotation and inspection at fords owner website http://owner.ford.com/servlet/Conten...iceCouponsPage for 39.95 minus a 10.00 rebate .as for whether the ford dealer is better thats hard to answer

Well, I decided to go dealer since it's a little cheaper, and their service manager is great. Depends on dealer, if the dealer you go to is bad, think about switching dealerships or trusting your mechanic.

If you know the mechanic well and trust him, go to him. If he has no idea on the noises/grinding, have your dealer take a look.

The 10,000 mile service is only an oil change which Ford dealers do pretty reasonably these days, so I'd go there. No warranty question about oil changes plus Ford dealers should be using good quality parts: Motorcraft semi-syn oil and a Motorcraft filter.

Doing the 1st oil change at 3-5k then the rest around 10k - sound normal?

10k is a bit long personally. That is the maximum interval permitted by Ford for the 2012+ Ford Focus. I'd recommend 5-7.5k maximum intervals, but as long as you change it at least once a year or every 10,000 miles that is the minimum required for the warranty.

the groaning and grinding noise should be covered under warranty ,you can get a coupon for an oil change,tire rotation and inspection at fords owner website http://owner.ford.com/servlet/Conten...iceCouponsPage for 39.95 minus a 10.00 rebate .as for whether the ford dealer is better thats hard to answer

What he said

It's pretty good for $39.95 since the dealer uses (should anyway) the factory recommended oil/filters (motorcraft 5W20 semi-syn), top off the fluids and tire pressure, and they rotate the tires too (this is a big plus to me, I hate rotating tires myself but it definitely makes them last longer).

For $39.95, that's pretty good. For $29.95, it's a bargain. It's almost cheaper to let them do it than trying to do it yourself.

...the main things I want to have checked out are a groaning noise that sometimes happens when I am turning the car pretty tightly, as well as as semi grinding noise when I am applying the brakes in certain situations...

Welcome (again) to the forum, Zeeky!

I recommend going with your Ford dealer because they have factory trained technicians and can accurately diagnose your ride. I want to offer my help for the concerns you listed. So I can assist, please PM me your full name, phone number, VIN, dealer details, and current mileage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by svtwagon

Doing the 1st oil change at 3-5k then the rest around 10k - sound normal?

svtwagon,

There was already a lot of great advice posted. Be sure to consult the “Scheduled Maintenance” section starting on page 315 of the 2013MY Focus Owner Guide 1st Printing.

10k is a bit long personally. That is the maximum interval permitted by Ford for the 2012+ Ford Focus. I'd recommend 5-7.5k maximum intervals, but as long as you change it at least once a year or every 10,000 miles that is the minimum required for the warranty.

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